In what is being seen as an escalation against security forces by Left-wing insurgents, the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) has reportedly setup a “permanent camp” in Malkangiri district of Odisha.

The development comes in the backdrop of the PLGA Week that started on December 2 in which the group seeks to recruit cadres. The building is supposed to serve as the central office during the week.

Official sources told Hindustan Times that security forces had taken note of the development and were coordinating with “sister investigative agencies” to find out more about the situation.

The banned guerrilla outfit has constructed the building in a remote area near Totaguda village in Jantri panchayat in Chitrakonda area of the tribal district.

A senior paramilitary officer said the region was located in the cut-off area of Malkangiri district. The building is painted in red and cordoned off by an iron mash fencing.

The PLGA Week is held every year since 2000 to commemorate the killing of three members of the banned outfit’s central committee in Koyyuru forest area of Karimnagar district on December 2, 1999.

According to an intelligence officer, the outfit aims to recruit and connect with locals during the week. The officer added that there are 12 villages in the cut-off area.

A senior Border Security Force (BSF) official said the area did not fall under the jurisdiction of the paramilitary force.

Officially, the BSF had no comments on the issue but sources in the force said the area fell under the jurisdiction of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) forces posted there.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)?had a similar response.

Officials from the BSF and the CRPF said the force was not deployed in the area.

They added that the “cut-off area” was an inter-state junction surrounded by Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and was known for the massive Balimela reservoir.

The area is said to be at least 30km away from the nearest BSF camp but an official, requesting anonymity, said due to the inaccessibility of the region, forces had to take a 150km-long detour to reach it. (Hindustan Times)